Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/696225
Feature the truck – we can give in-cab warn- ings if [a driver is] weaving inside a lane," for instance. "From patterns of movements, we can then decide when to take a video." This focus and related research "has really allowed us to take drowsy and distracted driving detection to the next level." For example, "If the driver's head is nodding, if they're doing something with their hands and arms," Birzer says, the camera's underlying soft- ware will recognize signs of fatigue or distraction. Alarms can be sounded in-cab and, if so configured, in the back office. As autonomous trucks become common, fatigue detection technology could be key in ensuring safety, Birzer says. This could mean allowing the truck to seize control when a driver becomes too fatigued or, conversely, ensuring the driver is ready to assume control, for example, to exit an inter- state highway. As autonomous driver-assist systems advance, says SmartDrive President Jason Palmer, not only will the compa- ny be measuring driver performance, but also "the performance of that assist system." Video insights will be key to under- standing "how drivers react to those automated systems," says SmartDrive Chief Executive Officer Steve Mit- gang. Fleets will be better equipped to focus on the problem areas of human- machine interactions. VIDEO EVIDENCE COULD INFLUENCE BONUSES A potential upside for camera use is that its event review information can be incorporated with vehicle data to make for more dynamic performance- pay options. While fleets can fairly easily track average miles per gallon to chart a driver's fuel-mileage performance, "they don't know where the best place for improvement is," says SmartDrive CEO Steve Mitgang. A particu- lar driver might do better to have a goal to "improve in-city driving" rather than to focus on areas where he already excels, such as reducing idling. "This will help them set up a performance-pay target to help them get there." Mitgang points to the company's new SmartIQ big-data platform that in- tegrates truck systems' data with video evidence of driving events to produce useful intelligence. "Video in combination with telemat- ics and other data is the game chang- er," he says. bdj 42 July 2016 BestDriverJOBS www.bestdriverjobs.com "Video in combination with telematics and other data is the game changer." — SmartDrive CEO Steve Mitgang on integrating truck systems' data with video evidence of driving events to produce useful intelligence.